Abraham Tops MotoGP Free Practice Two At Rainy Misano

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The end of the summer brought with it some sporadic light showers to the Adriatic Coast and interrupted the track action on the first day of free practice for the San Marino Grand Prix, thirteenth round of the 2012 MotoGP World Championship.

Repsol Honda rider, Jonathan Rea ventured out for a few laps in the afternoon, just to have some feeling on the RC213V at the Marco Simoncelli Circuit. The British rider, competing in his first MotoGP race replacing the injured Casey Stoner, finished sixth in the combined free practice times with a best lap time of 1'44.999.

Dani Pedrosa, remained in the garage for both sessions waiting for more stable conditions, but they never arrived and the team decided to wait until tomorrow to start preparing for the race.

JONATHAN REA 6th 1'44.999

"It was a frustrating day with these weather conditions. This morning the track was slightly wet and began to dry up towards the end of the session, but then it began to rain again, so we didn't make it out at all. Then in second free practice I went out straight away with the slick tyre to try and get some kind of feeling and I only managed three full laps as the tyre wasn't getting up to temperature. It was a pretty pointless exercise and I didn't have any real feedback to give to the engineers. It's a strange situation when the temperature is so low that none of the top riders even go out on track. We need to cross our fingers for some sunshine tomorrow so I can find a good rhythm on the bike and gain some confidence in the tyres in time for Qualifying"

DANI PEDROSA No time set

"On days like this it's almost impossible to get any feedback on the bike. Actually, we saw in both sessions that the weather was changing so quickly that the riders going out with slick tyres had to come back in because it started raining or the other way around: going out with wets and destroying them in just a few laps as it was drying up again. The weather forecast looks better for tomorrow and Sunday, so let's hope we can take advantage of tomorrow morning's session to find a good setting and have a good qualifying".

Dovizioso and Crutchlow didn't complete a timed lap in both practice sessions at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, renamed in 2012 in memory of the late Italian star.

A fierce wind blowing off the nearby Adriatic coast couldn' t properly dry out the slippery surface, with rain falling at regular intervals throughout the day.

Only nine riders posted times in this morning's session, while 11 took to the track this afternoon in tricky conditions and the best pace was almost 10 seconds off the lap record.

Conditions are expected to be significantly better for the remainder of the weekend, with Dovizioso and Crutchlow optimistic they can continue a fantastic 2012 World Championship for the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 Team by challenging for the podium in Sunday's 28-lap race.

Andrea Dovizioso:

"Today was quite frustrating because the track conditions made it impossible to learn anything. It is never good to lose a whole day on track but on a slow track like this it can be worse because it can take a while to find your rhythm. I went out to try and gauge the conditions but the track was very slippery and it made no sense to push because you risk crashing, so I immediately came back to the pits. Hopefully the weather will be better for the rest of the weekend and we can put on a good show for the fans, who unfortunately didn't get to see much action today."

Cal Crutchlow:

"Today turned out to be quite strange because in both sessions I just sat in the garage waiting for the track conditions to improve. It is disappointing for everybody concerned and I feel sorry for the fans here and the people watching on TV at home. When the track is damp like that it is very hard to learn anything, so I didn't even put my helmet on. It looks like the weath er will improve for the rest of the weekend and I am looking forward to getting down to business tomorrow morning. I gained a lot of confidence with my first podium in Brno recently and I can't wait to be back on my Monster Yamaha Tech 3 YZR-M1."

More, from a press release issued by Yamaha MotoGP Team:

Grey skies and a damp track made a washout of today's first practice sessions for the Grand Prix of San Marino with only a few riders taking to the track. Yamaha Factory Racing rider Ben Spies covered just six laps in the morning session and four in the afternoon. The Texan's efforts were simply to test the track conditions as no valuable data could be gained for Sunday's race which is forecast for sunshine.

Team mate Jorge Lorenzo decided to stay inside today, conserving valuable kilometres of engine life and again wisely choosing to avoid any unnecessary risks to gain little valuable set up data.

An otherwise dull day was brightened by not just one but two MotoGP legends from Yamaha's racing past arriving in the garage to chat with the riders. 15 time World Championship winner Giacomo Agostini was the first to appear, soon followed by Yamaha's first ever world title holder Phil Read.

Ben Spies Position : 8th Time: 1'46.471 Laps: 8

"We didn't really get anything from the few laps we did, it's been pretty much a waste of a day for everybody. We can't control the weather and unfortunately it was just too mixed conditions to do anything. We did a couple of laps to check everything was ok just in case qualifying is like that so we have a feeling for it. Other than that we just sat around, drank coffee and watched everybody!"

Jorge Lorenzo Position : - Time: Laps: -

"I'm so tired, we did so many laps today and now I need a big rest and a massage! Seriously though, we didn't even go out, it just wasn't necessary for us, we wanted to save the engine life and also save some energy. Tomorrow we will see what happens with the weather. Today was not completely wet or completely dry so useless."

Wilco Zeelenberg Team Manager

"A waste of a day, we were smart not to go out, there was really nothing to gain or learn. If it was really wet we would have liked to go out but today there's a risk of hurting yourself for no reason."

Massimo Meregalli Team Director

"Unfortunately we wasted time today. We couldn't test anything except a few laps to check how the track conditions were. I think if I have to find something positive to say it's that we didn't make any mileage on Jorge's engine!"

More, from a press release issued by Ducati:

Weather stops MotoGP riders at Misano

Changing weather conditions, with intermittent rain all day long, rendered useless the first day of free practice at Misano, as the track was neither completely wet nor completely dry.

Nicky Hayden, who wanted to check the strength of his still-healing right hand, turned four laps in the morning, but as the pace allowed by the track conditions was quite slow, the American will have to wait until tomorrow for a more meaningful test.

Valentino Rossi tried to ride in both the morning and the afternoon sessions, but in both cases, it began raining soon after and the Italian returned to the garage.

Nicky Hayden (Ducati Team) 9th (1:48.409)"There's not really much to report today! We did a lot of sitting around and waiting. I went out a little bit in the damp this morning with a wet setup, just to check the bike. I cruised a couple of laps and my hand wasn't too bad in those conditions, but we were all obviously way off the pace. I really won't know more until I get out in the dry and see if it's even going to be possible to race. I don't have much strength, and although it was fine for light braking, it could be a different story in the dry. I wouldn't mind more rain, but I wouldn't want to go into the race with no dry track time. Hopefully we'll get some dry time tomorrow."

Valentino Rossi (Ducati Team)"Today was completely useless, which is really a shame as it's obviously always better to be able to ride. This afternoon I tried to go out because we wanted to try a couple of things, including checking that everything was okay with the engine from the last race. But as soon as I got on the track, the rain started again and it was time to stop for good. There's not much to say. We'll wait for tomorrow."

More, from a press release issued by Pramac Racing:

TRICKY WEATHER CONDITIONS AFFECT THE FIRST DAY OF FREE PRACTICES AT THE MISANO CIRCUIT

Â“IÂ’m a little bit disappointed by the loss of a day due to the challenging and unpredictable weather conditions. I feel good and IÂ’m eager to get back on the track after the six-week of absence. Unfortunately, today the track was damp and cold and I preferred to wait in the box for a good change in the weather (that did not arrive), like more than half of the MotoGP riders. Obviously IÂ’m not happy about it, but we will look forward to tomorrow, hoping for a track that is either completely dry or completely wet

More, from a press release issued by NGM Mobile Forward Racing:

Short first day for Edwards at Misano due to bad weather

The weather conditions at the Misano racetrack have complicated things during this first day of free practice of the San Marino GP for Colin Edwards and the NGM Mobile Forward Racing Team, allowing them to do only a few laps.

A first day of free practice sessions in which the team was not able to follow established testing program, specially the new electronics software evolution. It will all have to wait until tomorrow's morning practice, making it a crucial session.

Yesterday both rider and team confirmed during a press conference that Colin will continue riding for the team in the 2013.

More, from a press release issued by LCR Honda:

TRICKY CONDITIONS DEEPLY AFFECT MISANO GP OPENING DAY

Misano, 14th September: on a damp and drying track less than 10 riders took to the Misano circuit for the first free practice this morning and even the second free practice session was neither completely wet or dry so the majority of riders remained in their box including LCR racer Stefan Bradl.

Stefan: "As everybody can see it was not a really productive day for us because the weather was very strange. On these conditions we could not learn anything from the track because it was not dry and not wet so I just went out once for an investigation lap and that's it".

Cardion AB Motoracing's Karel Abraham topped the timesheets at Misano today as the Czech rider fared best on a day where both practice sessions fell victim to foul weather.

Abraham posted a best time of 1'42.030 to head the thirteen riders who braved the elements today, his benchmark time set on the combination of the softer option slicks front and back during FP2 on a track that was mainly dry but with damp patches scattered about the surface. Danilo Petrucci, who enjoyed his first sessions on his new IODA-Suter machine was second quickest overall, while Paul Bird Motorsport's James Ellison ended Friday practice as the third quickest rider.

The unsettled weather resulted in many riders opting not to head out on track in both of today's sessions. Tyre selection for those riders that did take part in practice today was split between wet tyres and the softer option slick tyres as intermittent rain caused the grip level of the track surface to constantly change. Even though some riders were able to lap faster on slick tyres than on wets, damp patches persisted on track for the whole day meaning that lap times were approximately ten seconds slower than can be expected in optimal conditions.

"Today's weather conditions were quite extreme with rain and strong winds resulting in a track surface that was neither fully dry nor fully wet, while also keeping track temperatures very low. Misano is a circuit where riders require maximum feeling from the front-end of the bike, so with the grip levels being quite variable due to damp patches on track, many riders chose not to run in today's sessions. With track temperatures being quite cold today, those riders that did go out on slicks chose the softer compound options for their greater warm-up performance and edge grip. The weather forecast for tomorrow suggests that FP3 could also be rain affected, though there is a good chance that the qualifying session will take place in dry conditions."

More, from a press release issued by Power Electronics Aspar Team:

UNPRODUCTIVE DAY FOR POWER ELECTRONICS ASPAR DUE TO WET CONDITIONS

Randy De Puniet completes two laps and Aleix EspargarÃ³ stays in the garage, as track conditions lead to riders preferring to wait until tomorrow

Only thirteen MotoGP riders put in laps at Misano today, whilst the remainder of the field opted against taking risks. Cold, wet and windy conditions were the main focal points of the opening day of the San Marino GP. Adverse weather meant that most riders preferred to sit out Friday and avoid any nasty surprises, and amongst the absentees were the two title contenders. With conditions neither fully wet nor fully dry, today was something of a wasted day for the premier class competitors.

Randy De Puniet rode two laps and Aleix EspargarÃ³ none, as the POWER ELECTRONICS Aspar team took a cautious approach to things at Misano today. With the asphalt too precarious in the two practice sessions, both preferred to use the day to plan out a strategy in the garage with their mechanics.

Randy De Puniet: "Today was a boring day. The track was in bad condition from the rain and we weren't able to work. I didn't ride this morning and in the afternoon I put in just two laps. I went out on track to set up my electronics, but it started raining and we weren't able to draw any conclusions. It was risky to ride with the track in that condition and we didn't want to take risks on the opening day of the weekend. I think that this was a lost day for every rider in MotoGP, so I hope that the situation improves tomorrow."

Aleix EspargarÃ³: "We weren't able to do anything today. For the entire day it seemed as if the track would dry out and we could go out with slick tyres, but in the end it stayed damp and you couldn't work. When the track is neither dry nor wet it makes it difficult to try things, so we stayed in the garage talking with the mechanics in order to plan for tomorrow. It looks as if things will improve for tomorrow, so hopefully we will be able to work normally then."

More, from a press release issued by Dorna Communications:

In free practice sessions that were neither completely wet nor dry for the premier-class at the Gran Premio Aperol di San Marino e della Riviera de Rimini in Misano is was Cardion AB Racing's Karel Abraham who finished on top after posting the best time in the afternoon session.

With only 13 riders taking to the partly-dry circuit that was frequently hit with showers all day, top contenders such as Yamaha Factory Racing's Jorge Lorenzo and Repsol Honda's Dani Pedrosa did not head out on track with nothing to be gained in the mixed conditions.

Abraham's time in the low 1.42s was sufficient to push Came IodaRacing Team's Danilo Petrucci into second, with the Italian finishing the day as top CRT on board his new Ioda-Suter bike. Paul Bird Motorsport's James Ellison was out on track for the majority of both sessions as well, as he looked to dial his bike into the Misano track, ultimately finishing third.

San Carlo Honda Gresini's Michele Pirro took fourth spot on his FTR-Honda machine, putting in the laps in front of his home crowd much to their delight on the rainy day. Fifth place went to Avintia Blusens' Yonny Hernandez, who was caught out by the track half way through the second session as he lost the front and crashed out.

A time just under three seconds off the top saw Repsol Honda Team's Jonathan Rea finish the day in sixth on his MotoGP™ debut, after only going out briefly in the afternoon. In seventh, Avintia Blusens' David Salom also took to the track despite conditions, as he made only his second outing on a MotoGP™ machine.

Eighth place went to Yamaha's Ben Spies, who spent only a fraction of time out on track before heading straight back into the pits. Ducati Team's Nicky Hayden and Power Electronics Aspar's Randy de Puniet completed the top ten. San Carlo's Ãlvaro Bautista was 12th fastest, while local riders, Ducati Team's Valentino Rossi and Monster Yamaha Tech 3's Andrea Dovizioso, took to the track for only one untimed lapped in the afternoon.

Moto2™

On the first day of free practice at the Gran Premio Aperol di San Marino e della Riviera de Rimini in Misano it was Tech 3 Racing's Xavier SimeÃ³n who set the fastest time ahead of Claudio Corti and Andrea Johann Zarco in the afternoon practice, the second wet session of the day.

Speed Master's local favourite Andrea Iannone went fourth quickest, doing well to recover from a crash in the morning session. Marc VDS Racing Team's Mika Kallio was in a similar situation, as the Finn posted a good time in fifth, yet also crashed before the end of the session. Blusens Avintia's JuliÃ¡n SimÃ³n bettered his performance from the morning significantly, ending the afternoon in sixth, just over eight-tenths off the top.

Federal Oil Gresini Moto2's Gino Rea was seventh fastest overall thanks to his pace in the morning, ahead of Interwetten-Paddock's Tom LÃ¼thi in eighth. The much-improved Marcel SchrÃ¶tter on his upgraded Bimota machine with the Desguaces La Torre SAG team came in ninth, as Tech 3's Bradley Smith completed the top ten.

In the final few minutes in the afternoon practice on a near-dry racing line it was Team Italia FMI's Romano Fenati who set the pace in Misano at the Gran Premio Aperol di San Marino e della Riviera de Rimini ahead of Maverick ViÃ±ales and Jonas Folger.

The session started with a bout of rain, yet this soon stopped and riders spent most of the session creating a dry line. With five minutes left to go some riders braved the track and opted for slicks, which is what Fenati used to post his time of 1.49'965. After the taking the chequered flag the Italian crashed in the first corner after his right knee slider fell off and hit the rear wheel. Thankfully Fenati was unhurt in the incident. He finished just over one second ahead of Blusens Avintia's ViÃ±ales, who was also on slicks. Last race winner, Mapfre Aspar Team Moto3's Jonas Folger, kept on his wet tyres as he was putting in consistently fast laps, and ended the day just over a tenth off the Spaniard.

Elle 2-Ciatti's wildcard Kevin Calia made use of his local track knowledge to bring his Honda home in fourth, ahead of Andalucia JHK t-shirt Laglisse's Alberto Moncayo. Red Bull KTM Ajo's Danny Kent did well to recover from his tumble in the morning session to end the day sixth fastest, holding off the challenge from Estrella Galicia 0,0's Alex Rins. Kent's teammate and championship leader Sandro Cortese also kept hold of his wet tyres, like Folger, and posted the eighth quickest time.

Redox-Ongetta-Centro Seta's Jakub Kornfeil and the morning's pace-setter, AirAsia-SIC-Ajo's Zulfahmi Khairuddin, rounded out the top ten. Apart from Fenati's crash, Caretta Technology's Jack Miller suffered his second fall of the day, but walked away unscathed and managed to re-join. The morning's wet session was also a crash-strewn affair as Racing Team Germany's Louis Rossi was the first to fall in the tough conditions, followed by JHK t-shirt Laglisse's AdriÃ¡n MartÃ­n, Rossi's teammate Toni Finsterbusch, Calia, Team Imperiali Racing's wildcard Stefano Valtulini, Kent and Moto FGR's Jasper Iwema. Fortunately none of the riders were hurt in the incidents.